Last night, Husband and I went shopping for stuff for him. I know it's December, but he needed shoes and whatnot, and I had a 30% off coupon. I enjoy shopping with him for many reasons, two of which: he's very easy to shop for (and with), and he's as frugal as I am—always keen on a good value. But value is the key word here.

There were some great-looking man boots, at a not-too-expensive price…had they been leather. They weren't. They were pleather! What are they thinking? Man-feet in pleather? Ew.

I'm willing to pay a little more if the quality is good, if I'm getting a good value for the money. But so many things are so poorly manufactured. Blech.

Contrarily (can you tell I like that word?), I just received my order from Sock Dreams. I abhor tights (they're called that for a reason--evil torture devices!), and prefer over-the-knee socks. Not flimsy hose that run if you look at them and don't do anything to keep me warm, but real, honest-to-goodness socks that are long enough to go over my knee, and stay there. And I'm tall, so socks that fit the bill are really hard to find. Skirts are great in the winter with warm boots and nice warm socks. The socks I got are perfect!!! They're all cotton, and even made in the U.S. My order shipped the day I placed it (Dec. 14), and I received it yesterday (Dec. 16). And shipping was free. I'm wearing a pair today. Not cheap, but an excellent value. (I recommend you visit the website if you're in the market for unusual, great quality socks, especially over-the-knee socks.) Yep, I'll be ordering from them again.

Thanks for reading,Cami

p.s. Great things sometimes have a higher price, and they're usually worth it.